Honor Harrington
Lady Dame Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington, KOR, MC, CGM, PMV, Steadholder Harrington, Protector's Champion, Duchess Harrington, Countess White Haven, was a citizen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and Protectorate of Grayson, and an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy and Grayson Space Navy. Her treecat name was Dances on Clouds. Physical Characteristics Honor had brown eyes, which she inherited from her mother, short, brown hair and a pale complexion. She was a third-generation prolong recipient, which made her look about fifteen years younger than she actually was. (HH1) She had increased metabolic efficiency and muscle development due to the Meyerdahl genetic modification, thus being well adapted to Sphinx's heavy gravity. Because her body consumed more energy than an average human's, she ate large meals and desserts without gaining weight. A personal liability was the inability to be treated by regeneration therapy. She was a tall woman even for Manticoran standards, standing a full six centimeters above Tomas Ramirez. Biography Honor was born on October 1, 1859 PD, or 256 AL, at Craggy Hollow, County Duvalier, in the Duchy of Shadow Vale on the planet Sphinx to two physicians, Alfred Harrington, Surgeon Commander in the RMN, and Doctor Allison Chou Harrington. (UHH) Academy Years While at Royal Manticoran Naval Academy|Saganami Island Academy]], Honor took Fourth Form Tactics under the tutelage of Captain Raoul Courvosier. She did poorly in her mathematics courses. When she was a midshipwoman, Pavel Young attempted to rape her, but she beat him in self-defense. He was forced to apologize to her by Commandant Hartley. (HH1) During a regatta, Honor and Michelle Henke buzzed the Commandant's boat, who dove into the water, fearing a collision. Her academic performance and Michelle's relation to the Crown likely spared the two from serious reprimand. (HHA3:MMH, HH4) Honor was introduced to coup de vitesse by Chief Petty Officer MacDougal, one of her instructors, and she studied it at the Academy, eventually becoming a black belt in the form. (HH2) Midshipman Cruise As her final exam, Honor served her midshipwoman or "snotty" cruise aboard the heavy cruiser [[HMS War Maiden|HMS War Maiden]] under the command and tutelage of Captain (SG) Thomas Bachfisch. Bachfisch had personally selected her by advice of Courvosier. War Maiden was tasked with anti-piracy patrols in Silesia. Honor thought Assistant Tactical Officer Lieutenant Elvis Santino, unlike most of the other officers serving on War Maiden, displayed a towering sense of superiority, and had a hectoring sneer. He seemed to have an issue with the presence of Nimitz, and at times reminded Honor of Pavel Young. Santino was replaced during the cruise by Lieutenant Saunders, after the ship's Executive Officer found Santino to be abusive toward his midshipmen. Captain Bachfisch introduced Honor to the idea that regularly inviting her subordinate officers to dinner was a good way to get to know her staff. Upon meeting him for the first time, Honor was mildly disappointed that he didn't fit her mental image of a dashing and distinguished captain of the King's navy, however her opinion quickly changed when she realized how well he worked with his staff, and how he drew all his officers into discussions following dinner. Honor accompanied the marine boarding party that inspected [[RMMS Gryphon's Pride|RMMS Gryphon's Pride]] after War Maiden chased away pirates that had been boarding her. The pirates had massacred the crew. Lieutenant Santino was instructed to lead the prize crew on Grypon's Pride back to Manticore, and Honor was promoted to acting Assistant Tactical Officer. In that role, she was instrumental in destroying the Prism Space Navy's heavy cruiser Annika after Captain Bachfisch was severely injured in the battle. As a result, Captain Bachfisch promoted her to acting Lieutenant (junior grade) and to the permanent rank of Ensign. (HHA3:MMH) Life as a Naval Officer After she took command of a light attack craft, she was assigned to be an executive officer another vessel. She was assigned to [[HMS Manticore|HMS Manticore]] as a tactical officer. After graduating from the Commanding Officer's Course, she waited two months before taking command of [[HMS Hawkwing|HMS Hawkwing]]. Upon finishing her tour with on that ship, Honor was selected for the coveted Advanced Tactical Course as a candidate for a hyper-capable command. She graduated first in her class, which was taught by Admiral Courvosier. 1900 PD to 1901 PD Honor took command of [[HMS Fearless (CL-56)|HMS Fearless]], whose experimental weapons design included energy weapons for close encounters at the expense of missiles that would allow them to safely get into energy range. Only the element of surprise could get them past an enemy’s defenses. In war games, Honor succeeded in such a surprise ambush, but once the "enemy" knew her capabilities, she suffered repeated, humiliating defeats. Honor and her crew were ordered to Basilisk Station, long regarded as a place of disgrace. Yet her duties were important—to protect against smuggling and prevent Haven (or any enemy) from making a surprise attack via the local wormhole terminus. Arriving at Basilisk, Honor was immediately summoned to meet the senior officer— Pavel Young. He informed her that he and his ship was returning to Manticore for an urgent refit, and she – a Commander – would be the senior officer at Basilisk. Despite inadequate resources, Honor resolved to perform the duties that Young had neglected: she sent inspection teams to Basilisk Traffic Control and Medusa, her actions causing complaints from the Havenite ambassador, the Havenite consul on Medusa, merchant cartels, and Havenite merchant captains. Yet she received praise from the Resident Commissioner for Planetary Affairs, Native Protection Agency, and Basilisk Traffic Control. After finding out about a new type of mekoha drug, Harrington used one of Fearless' pinnaces to do sensor runs. She and the Resident Commissioner suspected that Havenite trade envoys were trying to start a native uprising in order to justify Havenite intervention. Harrington sent Royal Marines down to Medusa, while Fearless secretly investigated [[PMSS Sirius|PMSS Sirius]], when the later left to meet with a PRHN fleet. The ships fought and Sirius was destroyed in the First Battle of Basilisk. Fearless was heavily damaged, limping back to Medusa and sending out a Case: Zulu signal to get the Home Fleet to Medusa. In 1901 PD, Harrington was promoted to Captain (senior grade) in recognition of her actions at Basilisk, and was given command of the new heavy cruiser ''Fearless'' and awarded the Manticore Cross. (HH1) 1901 PD to 1902 PD In the aftermath of the battle, a Havenite court tried her in absence, and proclaimed her guilty of murdering an innocent freighter crew. Manticore fought back with informing the galaxy that the freighter had been a Q-ship. Harrington was awarded the Order of Gallantry medal for her part in the First Battle of Basilisk, and was then sent on anti-piracy patrol in the Silesian Confederacy. During this time, Fearless defeated an pirate squadron and rescued a passenger liner. (HH2) 1903 PD When Fearless put in for a refit at [[HMSS Vulcan|HMSS Vulcan]], Honor took a two week leave to visit her parents on Sphinx. During the Fearless' recommissioning ceremony, Harrington learned about her next assignment at Grayson: she would be the senior officer of a freighter convoy escort. The convoy would bring more than one hundred fifty billion Manticoran dollars worth of supplies to Grayson; the cost was covered by a generous loan. She would also accompany a team of diplomats headed by Raoul Courvosier who were sent to form an alliance with Grayson. Honor had doubts about the diplomatic mission, especially after hearing how women were treated on Grayson. When she observed the way the Grayson officers were acting towards her, she thought her presence was interfering with the mission and ordered Fearless to accompany [[HMS Apollo|HMS Apollo]] and [[HMS Troubadour (Chanson-class)|HMS Troubadour]] to the Casca System, even though only the destroyer ''Madrigal'' remained to assist Grayson. Upon hearing of the harassment of Ensign Carolyn Wolcott by Grayson officers, Harrington ordered a ship wide investigation of any more incidents. Returning to the Yelstin's Star System, Fearless and its companions encountered a group of LACs. Harrington thought they were from Grayson, but the LACs fired on and damaged Troubadour. The RMN ships returned fire and destroyed them, than proceeded to Grayson. Upon her returnm Harrington received word from Ambassador Anthony Langtry that Masadan warships were in the system, including modern ships of Havenite origin. He also informed her of Admiral Courvosier's death, which she took hard and blamed herself for. Harrington went down to the Manticore Embassy for a meeting, and argued with Reginald Houseman, who demanded the immediate evacuation of all Manticorans, that the Queen's honor would be irreparably damaged if they abandoned Grayson now. Houseman threatened her commission, and Harrington slapped him. When the Grayson Space Navy refused to cooperate with her, Harrington demanded a meeting with Protector Benjamin IX, threatening to withdraw from the system if he refused. Assassination Attempt on Benjamin Mayhew IX The Protector responded by inviting Harrington to dinner with his family in their residence, which she attended with Nimitz. During the dinner, she informed Benjamin IX of the difficulties she had with various officers of the Grayson Navy regarding the deployment and tactics of her squadron, and he agreed to place an Admiral in command who would work with her. As dinner was ending, men in security uniforms entered and attacked the Protector. Harrington and Nimitz acted swiftly to defend him and his family, killing and wounding several of the assassins. Harrington was hit in the face with disruptor fire and had to be brought back to Fearless. All the nerves on the left side of her face from her eye to to her chin were destroyed, and her left eye was damaged beyond repair. In addition, she suffered severe soft tissue damage to her left cheek, a broken cheek bone, a broken nose, bruises and internal bleeding. An investigation by Howard Clinkscales revealed that the Brotherhood of Maccabeus was responsible. The leader of the plot was Jared Mayhew, the Protector's cousin. Battle of Blackbird A few hours after the Maccabeans' attack, Harrington, along with Nimitz, Commander Truman, and Commander McKeon, visited the Grayson Command Central and met with Admiral Leon Garret and Admiral Wesley Matthews. She explained the plan that she and her staff had come up with to fight against Masada, which had backed the Maccabeans. The plan used the new type of Recon Drone developed by the RMN that used FTL capabilities to create a basic sensor net across likely approach vectors in the Yeltsin's Star System. Freighters returning noncombatants to Manticore would bring an urgent request for reinforcements, but they would take days to arrive. Howard Clinkscales thanked Harrington for her part in thwarting the assassination attempt, and explained that one of the Brotherhood of Maccabeus's pilots revealed that Masada put an advanced forward base on Blackbird and that their "biggest ship", [[PNS Saladin|MNS Thunder of God]], was in the Endicott System, which prompted Harrington to move against the Masadan base before it returned. She deployed the Grayson-RMN forces so that their LACs could mask the energy signatures of the larger vessels. Her fleet destroyed or captured the entire Masadan force, forcing Principality, originally Breslau, captained by Commander Thomas Theisman, to surrender. Theisman informed her that [[HMS Madrigal|HMS Madrigal]]'s survivors were being held at Blackbird Base, and implied that they were in danger. Harrington called a meeting of the fleet's senior officers and formulated new battle plans. An assault force led by Manticoran Marines took Blackbird Base. In captivity, Colonel Harris informed her where to find the Madrigal survivors. In that location, Harrington found Commander Mercedes Brigham and Ensign Mai-ling Jackson badly injured, and learned that the majority of Madrigal survivors had suffered brutal deaths at the Masadans' hands. Captain Jason Alvarez was killed as he tried to protect the women from being raped and beaten. In rage, Harrington almost killed the base's commander, Captain Williams, but was restrained by Major Major Ramirez, Admiral Matthews, and Lieutenant Tremaine. Matthews vowed that the Masadans would be put to justice. The Aftermath of Blackbird Captain Harrington questioned Commander Theisman and had him present when Fritz Montoya gave a report of the injuries that Mercedes Brigham and Mai-ling Jackson had suffered. Theisman agreed to testify against Captain Williams and the other Masadan officers of Blackbird. She then ordered Commander Truman and Apollo to leave for Manticore as soon as possible and to request reinforcements in preparation for combat with [[PNS Saladin|MNS Thunder of God]], now known to be a battlecruiser. She also ordered all the seriously wounded from Fearless and Troubadour to be moved Apollo. Harrington promised Admiral Matthews that she would stand with Grayson against any Masadan threat. Captain Harrington enjoyed a meal of steak prior to the Masadan invasion of Yeltsin's Star System. She finished her meal even when she was informed about the [[PNS Saladin|MNS Thunder of God]] entered the system. This action helped galvanized her crew by showing she was not phased by the battle cruiser. Second Battle of Yeltsin's Star Because of disagreements and mutual distrust between the Masadans and the Havenites, Thunder of God was delayed in the Endicott system for four days and was packed with Masadans who mutinied and took control of the ship. Fearless detected its approach from the far side of Yeltsin’s Star and observed it for several hours, undetected. Harrington put Fearless on a spiral course inside Thunder of God's path in order to protect the planet, noting the clumsiness of Thunder of God's tactics and realizing that Masadans were controlling it. She suspected that the Masadans would attack Grayson from a distance if they had the opportunity. In repeated missile battles, Troubadour was destroyed and Fearless suffered severe damage, but Thunder of God was badly hurt as well. A relief force commanded by Admiral White Haven arrived, and White Haven ordered Harrington to break off. When she did not respond, he realized her communications were out, and fired a missile salvo, knowing he was out of range and the missiles would be unable to maneuver when they reached their target. However, some of them did hit, and attempting to evade, Thunder of God turned its bow toward Fearless and was destroyed by a broadside. A few weeks later, Harrington met with Admiral White Haven, Ambassador Langtry, Protector Benjamin and Admiral Matthews. White Haven informed her that a reprimand was in her file as a result of her striking Reginald Houseman, and warned her that other such incidents would end her career. Despite the reprimand, she received honors for her actions: Protector Benjamin asked her to sign the draft treaty of alliance in the name of Queen Elizabeth III, and informed her that funds had been approved to form the new Harrington Steading with her as the first female Steadholder in Grayson history. Langtry told her that the Queen would make her a Countess, and Admiral Matthews presented her with the Star of Grayson. In addition, she was made a Knight Companion of the Order of King Roger. (HH2) 1904 - 1905 PD Honor Harrington took command of a new battlecruiser, [[HMS Nike (BC-413)|HMS Nike]], in 282 AL. Commander Michelle Henke became her executive officer. Nike was assigned as flagship for Rear Admiral Mark Sarnow, commander of Battlecruiser Squadron 5, a part of the Task Force Hancock, commanded by Vice Admiral Sir Yancey Parks. A stickler for protocol, Parks had formed a negative opinion about Harrington based on what he had heard about her, and he refused to invite her to meetings of top officers until Sarnow confronted him about it. Nike arrived at Hancock with damage due to a flaw undetected in the new ship's initial tests. Captain Paul Tankersley, exec of the shipyard, supervised the repair. He and Harrington became sparring partners in coup de vitesse and in a few weeks became lovers. Harrington was present at an officers' meeting where a war warning from the Admiralty was read. Parks decided to split his fleet, sending smaller task groups and squadrons to defend allies along possible routes of attack. Task Group Hancock 001 under Sarnow's commandComprised of Battlecruiser Squadron 5 and Heavy Cruiser Squadron 17, joined by Pavel Young, commanding [[HMS Warlock|HMS Warlock]], second senior officer within Cruron 17 than. was left to defend Hancock. Parks assumed that the People's Navy had no surveillance capability until one of his ships caught Havenites querying their recon drones. They hurried back to Hancock, but not before Admiral Rollins exploited the opportunity Parks had provided. With most of the Royal Manticoran Navy deployed elsewhere to prevent the Havenite provocations, Honor and Admiral Sarnow found themselves forced to defend Hancock Station from the vastly superior Havenite armada that arrived insystem. With the help of Harrington's unorthodox tactics, the task force was able to hold off the Havenites for long enough for reinforcements to arrive. In the final stages of the battle, Rear Admiral Sarnow was incapacitated, leaving it up to Harrington to pass on command. But as the reinforcement arrived at this point, she found that passing on command would only cause confusion and possibly allow the enemy to escape, so she kept command while leading the Havenites further in system to trap them by using her taskforce as bait. Pavel Young's cowardice nearly cost Harrington her life when he disobeyed orders and fled the defensive formation protecting the wounded Nike. Harrington managed to keep the rest of the formation together despite this, until she ordered the task force to scatter for safety when the pursuing force has reached a point of no return and could no longer escape the Manticoran reinforcements. (HH3) Pavel Young’s court martial placed Harrington in the center of a political storm. Despite the Queen’s strong support for her actions, many in Manticore’s aristocracy saw the court martial as a vindictive attack on Young by Harrington.They were not satisfied when Young was removed from the Navy but acquitted on the capital charges.They opposed a declaration of war against Haven, which the Queen and the Admiralty desperately wanted.To allow political feelings to calm, Earl White Haven asked Harrington to take an extended leave. OnGrayson, Harrington was admitted formally to the Conclave of Steadholders.As the only living holder of the Star of Grayson, she was also the Protector’s Champion.Although she had an outstanding Regent, Howard Clinkscales, she quickly became absorbed in the work of a Steadholder. When Adam Gerrick presented his proposal to Harrington and Clinkscales to build protective domes of crystoplast to cover cities and farms, both liked the idea.However, Gerrick had been unable to convince investors, and no public funds were available.Harrington invested some of her personal fortune gained from the capture of Peep ships in the First Battle of Hancock, and Grayson Sky Domes, Ltd. was born. Soon afterward, Mike Henke arrived bearing the news that Denver Summervale had killed Paul Tankersley in a duel.She brought Harrington and her dozen armsmen back to Manticore aboard her ship, HMS Agni.Harrington was so devastated by Tankersley’s death that her treecat Nimitz could not console her.She determined to duel with Summervale, and began practicing with an automatic pistol. On a tip from Admiral Sarnow, Colonel Tomas Ramirez brought a platoon of Marines to find Denver Summervale in a remote lodge on Gryphon.Ramirez learned that Pavel Young—now Earl North Hollow—had hired Summervale to kill both Young and Harrington. Confronting Summervale publicly in a bar, Harrington goaded him to challenge her.Taking advantage of Sumervale’s overconfidence, Harrington killed him in the duel. Later, an attempt to shoot her in a restaurant was thwarted by Andrew LaFollett’s speedily pushing her under a table. Pavel Young, frightened, avoided contact until she accused him in the House of Lords. On the dueling grounds, Young cheated and fired early. Saved by LaFollett’s warning, Honor ducked and was wounded in the left shoulder. Despite her wound, she fired and killed him. In the political uproar that followed, she was removed from command of Nike and returned to Grayson. Character Honor prefered a hot cocoa over coffee. She did not like the taste of coffee, but enjoyed its smell. She would, also, enjoy a good steak. She did not like politicians, especially after the First Battle of Basilisk. She also detested favoritism, and attempted to be fair to all of her officers under her command. Honor liked to work out in the Ship's gym late at night because she preferred to turn up the gravity. She prefered to have a regular sparing partner. She had a module for Nimitz until Paul Tankersley made a skinsuit (a space suit) for him Some of her mannerisms included biting the inside of her cheek and rubbing her nose when in deep thought. Service Record Promotions * 17/12/267 AL – Ensign, acting Lieutenant (JG) * 03/02/267 AL – Lieutenant (JG) * c1881 PD, 15/38/269 AL – Lieutenant (SG) * 02/35/273 AL – Lieutenant Commander * 17/12/277 AL – Commander * c1901 PD, 04/10/281 AL – Captain (SG) * c1905 PD – Colonel (RMMC)Such promotions were a way for the Crown to show special approval of a Captain (SG) to junior for promotion to flag rank. It was a purely symbolic appointment, although it did include a Marine Colonel's pay scale in addition to regular Captain's pay. (HH4) * c1907 PD – Admiral (GSN) * c1911 PD – Commodore * c1913 PD – AdmiralIt was the first time that an officer had been jumped three grades from Commodore to full Admiral * before c1922 PD – High Admiral (GSN)HH11, mentioned in the List of Characters * c1921 PD, August – acting Fleet Admiralbecause of Home Fleet command Posts in RMN * c1876 PD – Cadet, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island, * c1880 PD, 11/27/267 AL – Midshipwoman, Assistant Tactical Officer (acting), Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS War Maiden, CA-39 (HH0) * 03/03/268 AL – Gunnery Officer Trainee, HMS Royal Winton, DN-12 * 08/19/269 AL – Second Assistant Gunnery Officer, HMS Royal Winton, DN-12 * c1881 PD, 16/04/269 AL – Sailing Master, HMS Osprey, FG-1069 * 15/35/271 AL – Second Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS Manticore, SD-01 * 12/24/271 AL – Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS Manticore, SD-01 * c1882 PD, 05/12/727 AL – Commanding Officer, HM LAC 113 * 03/10/273 AL – Executive Officer, HMS Trenchant, CL-19 * c1890 PD, 09/02/275 AL – Executive Officer, HMS Broadsword, CA-47 (HHA2) * 09/28/276 AL – Executive Officer, HMS Perseus, CL-92 * 12/01/277 AL – Tactical Officer, HMS Basilisk, SD-105 * 17/17/277 AL – Student, Commanding Officer's Course, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island * c1897 PD, 02/08/278 AL – Commanding Officer, HMS Hawkwing, DD-1213 * c1900 PD, 17/06/279 AL – Student, Advanced Tactical Course, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island * c1900 PD, March 3rd - c1901 PD, January, from 04/35/280 AL – Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CL-56, acting Senior Officer, RMN Basilisk Station (HH1) * c1901 - c1903 PD, 04/35/281 - 13/25/283 AL – Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CA-286 (HHA4, HH2) * c1904 - c1905 PD, from 06/21/284 AL – Commanding Officer, [[HMS Nike (BC-413)|HMS Nike]], BC-413 (HH3, HH4) * c1908 PD, September - c1910 PD, March – Commanding Officer, RMN Task Group 1037, Commanding Officer, HMAMC Wayfarer, AMC- (HH6) * c1910 PD - c1911 PD – Weapons Development Board member (HH7) * c1911 PD – Commanding Officer, Cruiser Squadron Eighteen (HH7) * c1914 PD - c1918 PD – Commandant, Saganami Island Advanced Tactical Course, Tactical Instructor, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy (HH9) * c1918 PD - c1920 PD – Commanding Officer, Sidemore Station, Commanding Officer, Task Force 34 (HH10) * c1920 PD, July - c1921 PD, August – Commanding Officer, Eighth Fleet (HH11) * from c1920 PD, July – Commanding Officer, HMS Unconquered (HH11) * from c1921 PD, August – Commanding Officer, Home Fleet (HH11) Periods of inactive service in RMN Posts in the GSN * c1907 PD - c1909 PD - Commanding Officer, First Battle Squadron, acting Commander-in-Chief during Fourth Battle of Yeltsin's Staras GSN's second in command (HH5) * c1911 PD - c1913/1914in is not certain, when exactly ESN was disbanded PD - as Admiral of the GSN: senior officer in the Cerberus System and thus - Commanding Officer, Elysian Space Navy (HH8) * from c1914 PD - Commanding Officer, Protector's Own Squadron (HH9) From 1909 PD detached for temporary duty with the RMN (HH6). Decorations * Mentioned in Dispatches * Conspicuous Gallantry Medal - 271 AL, Clusters - 283 AL * Manticore Cross - 283 AL * Monarch's Thanks Medal - 271 AL, 281 AL, 283 AL * Order of Gallantry * Star of Grayson - 283 AL, Crossed Swords - 1907 PD * Distinguished Service Order - 283 AL * Saganami Cross - c1911 PD * Sidemore Presidential Medal - 1911 PD References Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Dame Honor